High-Pressure Microfluidic Chip Aids Methane Hydrate Kinetics Research: Roles of Crude Oil-Derived Saturates and Inhibitor in Hydrate Formation

In the process of offshore oil and gas production and transportation, the formation of hydrates could lead to pipeline blockages and safety hazards. However, the specific role of crude oil saturates and the inhibition mechanism of industrial inhibitor Luvicap in hydrate formation remain to be systematically explored. In this study, the saturates of crude oil extracted from the Lingshui oilfield in the South China Sea and Luvicap were used as the subject. A self-designed platform with a high-pressure microfluidic chip and a microscopy visualization system was employed to investigate the kinetic impact mechanisms of the industrial inhibitor Luvicap on methane hydrate formation in the saturates system. The results showed that long-chain alkanes in the saturates promoted hydrate nucleation and growth, reducing the average induction time to 57.53 s (18.3% lower than that of the blank group) and increasing the growth rate to 157.74 μm/s (19.67% higher than that of the blank group). The inhibitory effect of Luvicap on the growth stage was significantly stronger than that on the hydrate nucleation stage, reducing the growth rate of the hydrates to 52.46 μm/s. Luvicap acts by adsorbing at the gas–liquid interface to block gas diffusion. The findings revealed that in the presence of saturates (a component of crude oil), Luvicap primarily inhibited the growth kinetics, providing experimental evidence for hydrate management based on component characteristics in oil and gas transportation systems.